This essay considers three areas in Spanish grammar that generally cause difficulty to English-speaking learners: the use of "ser" and "estar," the difference in use between the preterite and imperfect tenses, and the use of the subjunctive. Like most problematic grammatical elements in any language, these points are difficult for non-native speakers to learn, not because of any inherent difficulty but because they operate differently from the native language. So called textbook "rules" of grammar, with many exceptions, are inaccurate and must be replaced by other explanations. Much of the paper is devoted to a discussion of the three problematic areas in Spanish mentioned above, with explanations based on the subconscious norms used by native Spanish speakers. If the goal is to get students to handle a foreign language as nearly as possible like native speakers, the students need to have the same cues for choice that native speakers employ. These cues must be presented on a conscious level, applied in concrete examples and repeated sufficiently for them to become internalized. (Author/AMH)